NAB, CEA kick off DTV tour in Portland

The National Association of Broadcasters and the Consumer Electronics
Association are kicking off their digital-TV-marketing plan this week by
visiting the cities designated as 'digital-TV zones.'

They started in Portland, Ore., which was chosen because all of its local TV
stations -- KATU-TV (ABC), KGW-TV (NBC), KOIN-TV (CBS), KPDX-TV (Fox), KPTV
(United Paramount Network) and KOPB-TV (PBS) -- have made the transition to
digital.

As a designated digital-TV zone, the NAB and the CEA are placing
high-definition television sets and information in high-traffic areas such as
the Oregon History Center, Portland City Hall, the Rose Garden Arena and Pioneer
Courthouse Square.

The associations will place an HDTV set in one Portland home for a month,
with applications due Feb. 9 from families who would like to have it in their
home.

Some bars and restaurants in the area will be equipped with HDTV sets so
locals can view sporting and other events in digital-quality audio and
video.

The local TV stations plan to conduct tours of their facilities to better
acquaint the community with digital TV.

The NAB's John Orlando and the CEA's Jeff Joseph also will visit the other
zones this week, Indianapolis and Houston.

Television ads are scheduled to begin in all three cities next week, an NAB
spokesman said.

Washington, D.C., is slated to become a zone, but not until later this
year.